swim more easily when retrieving from the water. Germany and France both had their Poodles, it was the
French who valued the dog to such an extent that he became the national dog of that country.
When their son went away to college, Jim decided the time was right to add a canine companion
to their family. Since Bobbi grew up with a black standard poodle, Jim thought a poodle puppy
would be a nice birthday present for her. (Little did Jim realize that it was politically
incorrect to give a puppy as a gift without first thinking of the responsibility of pet ownership.)
Anyway, in June of '94 they got Norman a 13-week-old black standard poodle puppy from the
panhandle of Oklahoma. And that started Jim's longing for working with performance dogs.
Since he was one year old, Norman's greatest passion has been dog agility. At two years old
Norman got his Companion Dog Title but he would rather jump, climb over and through, and
please the crowd than eat, and mundane obedience routines just were not his forte.
It had just been in the last six months of '99 that he realized agility is a team sport and while
he may be the "Dennis Rodman" of agility he still needs a "Phil Jackson" to coach him through
the course. Unfortunately, in early '00 Norman sustained an injury to his pelvis which resulted
in an early retirement from the agility venue. Now, Norman is the token poodle beach bum,
spending his time chasing Sirocco up and down the beach at the Indiana Dunes National
Lakeshore park.
Norman's other love is working in the re-hab section of our local hospital with stroke patients
as a registered Therapy Dog.
Copywrite 2001 Shot on Site Photo
Home Page
Introduction
Coming of Norman
Norman the Poodle
Norman's Achievements
The Coming of Sirocco
Sirocco the Saluki Sirocco's Pedigree
Sirocco's Achievements
Saluki History
Is a Saluki for You? AKC Saluki Breed Standard
Jim's Thoughts on Living with Canine Friends
Agility Tips More Agility Tips
The Family Photo Album
Sirocco - Orchid Litter July 25, 2005
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